Prospect Profile and Interview – Max Bain Part 1: Not Getting Drafted Means Everything Now

When you hear a name like Max Bain, one might tend to think not of a baseball player but of someone who could be an arch villain in some DC comic book. However, Max Bain is real and he’s one of the more intriguing prospects for the Cubs. Signed as a nondrafted free agent in January by the Cubs, his story is one of aspiration and inspiration. This story is going to take a few days to tell.

Basic Info
Height – 6’6”
Weight – 245 pounds
Throws – Right
Age – 22
College – Northwood University in Midland, Michigan
Signed as a non-drafted free agent

The first thing that pops out about Bain is his pure size. He has a body built to withstand the grind of being a starting pitcher. And he also has quite the unique story as he hopes to fulfill his lifelong dream.

Coming out of high school, he was not highly recruited. He told me the following last Monday:

When I came out of high school, I was similar sized, I weighed a lot less, but I was sitting, 80-82. So, I had two offers from Northwoods University, where I went, and a little school in Rochester, Michigan called Rochester College, which is an NAIA school. So, two four-year offers, neither of which is a prominent school. I threw myself at the D1 tier and never received an opportunity.

Bain’s college career took place at Northwood University in Midland, Michigan. Bain played four seasons at Northwood. He spent his freshman and sophomore years coming out of the bullpen at the D2 school. He had 28 strikeouts in 27.1 innings while only walking 11. After his sophomore year in 2017, he played summer ball in the Northwoods League just up the road from me in Rockford. He got in 21.2 innings and he made four starts while striking out 15 with an ERA just under five. 

Things started to turn around for Bain in 2018. He appeared in 17 games for Northwood, four as a starter. His ERA was a sparkling 2.78 as he struck out 54 batters in 45.1 innings. In addition, he only walked 15. That summer, he played for the Syracuse Salt Cats as he began transitioning to a starter’s role. He made 6 starts in the New York-Penn Collegiate League and he was quite good. He put up a 2.47 ERA in 40 innings as he struck out 53 but he did walk 28.

Max Bain was dominant once again yesterday as the Salt Cats spilt a doubleheader with the Crush. He gives us the inside scoop and tells us what to expect as they take on the Flames tonight! pic.twitter.com/6xWyrq733r

— Syracuse Salt Cats (@SyrSaltCats) June 17, 2018

Bain said this about that time:

So, I had a pretty successful junior year on when you look at when I really started to log innings including a no-hitter. So, I had a really good career for myself and the team was winning. You know, Northwood was a really average program when we (my class) arrived. If you look at the four years we played there, my class logged more wins than any other class in school history. We were the first team in our school’s history to win the conference and the tournament in back-to-back years.

For his senior season, Bain moved to the rotation and struggled some in the transition. He struck out 78 in 77.1 innings with a 4.17 ERA. Sadly, it was not enough to garner much attention to get drafted. 

Max explained why he thought he was not taken last June.

I was heavy through my junior year. Actually in December of 2018, which would have been winter of senior year, I was 300 pounds. I kind of made a huge change, I cut stuff out of the diet. I got down to 275 by the draft but ultimately wasn’t where I wanted it to be, or at least where I am at right now. As of now, I am sitting at the 245 mark.So, I’ve actually dropped 55 pounds in the last 16 or so months, if we want to call it that. So, that’s been a huge change overall if we’re looking at the whole grand scheme of things.

I didn’t throw hard enough either. Going from 80-82 in high school to when I graduated (college) I was sitting 89-91 in that range and I think in a different time period, that would have plenty to get drafted. Unfortunately, that’s not how it works today. To add on to that, I felt I kind of did not really have a great arsenal to go behind the fastball, which was pretty successful at Northwood. You know 89-91 at Division II, you’re going to get outs with that. So, I never had that need to develop really, really good offspeed stuff. So, I didn’t have a great curveball, the changeup was kind of a bad fastball, and like I said, it worked.

That chip on my shoulder {of not being drafted} is never going to go away. I didn’t get drafted but I’m going to earn the same opportunities as the guys that went higher than me. I understand why it didn’t happen. That being said, I’m going to earn it.

And this is really where our story begins. Max would later get a tattoo in Roman numerals to remind him of June 6 and the 1217 guys that did get picked instead of him. 

What comes next is going to be a total transformation of mind, body, and arsenal….in just 4 months. It’s a pretty spectacular tale.

We will pick up here tomorrow with Max’s next steps to fulfill his dream of becoming a professional baseball player.